


A Titan's Musings

by Sinclaironfire



Category: El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera
Genre: Anguished Declaration Of Love, Canon-Typical Behavior, Canon-Typical Violence, Harassment, If I Can't Have You, Mental Anguish, Rebuffed Affection, Stalking, Titanium Titan is in love with Rodolfo, Unrequited Love, Unresolved Emotional Tension, Unresolved Issues, Unresolved Romantic Tension, Unresolved Sexual Tension, What Could Have Been, no one can
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-18 07:41:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19330108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sinclaironfire/pseuds/Sinclaironfire
Summary: The Titanium Titan muses and stalks Rodolfo, wondering the things that could have been, the way things that should have been, and the way things are now.





	1. Chapter 1

Rodolfo was predictable. 

He rose from his bed at 6:30, he showered and dressed promptly at 7, and then he made breakfast for his family at 7:30, and left the house at 8:15 on the dot to his “real” job of working in insurance. After that he was downtown for the next eight hours. Sometimes his workday was cut short when a giant monster or dastardly villain went on a crime spree. When that happened, it was a guarantee to hear Rodolfo shout, “WHITE PANTERA!”

A fight would ensue, the villain would be defeated, and Rodolfo, standing in the praise of thousands, would humbly return to his work as if nothing had happened. It was infuriating. How could a hero as great as Rodolfo return to his job as if he hadn’t saved the city yet again?

Atop of a nearby building, Tito Hernandez, watched Rodolfo laugh with his fellow coworkers over a silly joke. Did they know the greatest man in existence was in their presence? NO! They didn’t! They didn’t know the man who sacrificed so much to keep Miracle City safe day after day, not like he did. No one knew Rodolfo Rivera like Tito Hernandez did. He was by his side through thick and thin. Who was there to save his life when things got tough? Who was there for him when he felt the strain of saving a corrupt place like Miracle City? 

It was him, Tito, who stayed! When he was the Titanium Titan with Rodolfo’s White Pantera persona, there wasn’t a villain that couldn’t be beaten. At least that was how it used to be but then that awful day came when that damn journalist came to the Pantera Pit. Her name? Maria Gonzalez. She was smart, she was beautiful, and she had her eyes set on his Rodolfo. He watched as she seduced him. The coy little gestures, the come-hither looks, and all those times she just happened to be in danger? And Rodolfo just had to save her?

The way she would always hold on tight to him as Rodolfo carried her away from the danger was nauseating. How she would say his name when he returned from battle was overly dramatic. How she would praise him for his bravery, write of his exploits, and slowly wore down his defenses with her feminine wiles. Rodolfo didn’t stand a chance. He met his match in Maria and was promptly defeated. Looking back on it, Tito could have forgiven her. She had good taste and he couldn’t blame her for going after Rodolfo. Looking at him now, he was still as impressive as ever even as he did mundane tasks like holding the door opened for his coworkers. What he couldn’t forgive her for was trapping him with matrimony and pregnancy. Oh, he could recall the look on Rodolfo’s face when Maria told him that she was with child. 

Rodolfo cried tears of happiness, Tito cried tears of sorrow. It was the beginning of the end for them. How could he ever compete with Maria and the newborn baby? Soon, he and Rodolfo stopped going to the Pantera Pit and then came that awful day where their partnership dissolved. 

“I’m sorry, Tito but my family needs me.” 

Rodolfo went to the Rivera Family home and he never returned to the Pantera Pit. Their place was too empty without Rodolfo there and crime fighting didn’t hold the same appeal without him. Tito failed as a hero. It was a cold bitter existence without Rodolfo but where he failed as a hero, Rodolfo’s marriage failed!

Oh, happy day! 

The minute the news broke, Tito knew that Rodolfo would come running back to the heroic lifestyle that he belonged to. It would be just like the good old days. Just the two of them! Maria, the delicate flower that she was, couldn’t stand the constant danger that Rodolfo was in. She was leaving! She would be taking herself far away from Rodolfo and she would be taking her child with her. 

Except she didn’t.

Maria left but Manny stayed. Then, as if to make matters worse, Rodolfo’s father moved in. Rodolfo, a legendary hero, let his villainous father, the feared Puma Loco, into the house. Jorge Rivera, the man who struck fear into the hearts of hero society, tainted the heroic reputation that Rodolfo worked so hard to preserve. He brought crime into the house. He robbed banks, stole from anyone that had anything that he wanted, and caused wanton chaos for the sake of causing chaos. Did he not see how much he was hurting his only son? Did he even care? 

The answer was no.

There was a time when he and Rodolfo swore that they would eliminate all crime from Miracle City and yet, he allowed his father to run rampant in the streets and his son! That detestable child who abused his powers for his own gain. He was hardly heroic. In fact, the boy was becoming more and more villainous every day. It wouldn’t be long before El Tigre was running wild with Puma Loco and that arrogant and annoying little girl Frida Suarez. 

Even now, as Rodolfo came home from a long day of work, the three leeches of his life were cackling over Puma Loco’s latest steal. They didn’t even have the decency to stop laughing or to hide their spoils of crime from Rodolfo. He merely said hello to them and retired to his bedroom. 

How Rodolfo let himself be surrounded by villainy in his own home was beyond Tito’s reasoning but he did have a running theory. The divorce, his villainous father, and unruly child broke him. He wasn’t the same man anymore. He lost so much that he was afraid to lose anybody else.

His poor Rodolfo. The man was a shell of himself but not for long. He would rescue Rodolfo from the chaotic and abusive life that he led. He would revive White Pantera to his former glory by any means necessary. Yes, his previous attempts ended in failure but not this time. He realized his mistakes. This wasn’t as simple as he thought it would be. Manny cared too much for Frida. Their bond was too strong to break up with something as stupid as a teen villain or threatening each other’s lives. No petty schemes like faux loyalty would be enough to separate Manny from his father either. 

Attacking the family was out of the question. He was defeated by Manny and Frida twice and if he couldn’t make it as a solo hero, he didn’t want to think of evoking the wrath of the fearsome Puma Loco. No, if he was going to save Rodolfo, he needed to be clever, he needed to be smart, but most of all he needed to not get caught. This called for drastic measures. After all, it was Rodolfo’s life at stake and Tito swore that he would not fail his dearest friend, not this time. 

Tito descended from his hiding spot in the Rivera home. It was too easy to break in. Where Puma Loco liked to have plenty escape routes, there were plenty of ways to get in. Some were sealed, others were locked but there were routes that were still open. The Rivera family never knew he was there. He had their schedules down pat. Granted that while Jorge and Manny and Frida kept flexible schedules, they never paid much attention to the new silver trash can or to the silver photo frame. Rodolfo was too tired, he wasn’t in his right frame of mind, to notice such things. Once Rodolfo was alone, Tito made his move. 

The children were out at the arcade and Jorge? He was out robbing Miracle City bank and then to Casa de Adios for not so friendly game of cards with his retired villains until he robbed them blind. It was perfect. Rodolfo was his and his alone. There was no fear of the children interfering or Puma Loco making an unwelcomed appearance.

Tito struck hard and fast. His metal arms bound Rodolfo. 

Even the mighty Rodolfo needed to breathe. His eyes flew open but restrained by metal and his air supply limited, he was almost unconscious until….

“Hey, Mr. Rivera, is it okay if I stay….” Wide-eyed Frida saw the scene before her. “…over?” She took a deep breath and shouted, “MANNY! THE TITAN IS –“

Damn arrogant girl. She had to be silenced. Tito smacked her with his arms. The metal wrapped around her face and covered her nose and mouth just as El Tigre came in. “FRIDA!” Manny saw him and Rodolfo. “DAD! TITAN!”

Rodolfo was nearly out. He was too weak to fight back. Feeling confident, Tito made his move, “CHOOSE RIVERA! YOUR FATHER OR FRIDA!”

Manny was as predictable as his father. Frida, who was turning a shade close to her hair, needed the most help. He clawed the metal away from her and gave Tito the chance he needed to escape. He didn’t worry about using the secret escape routes. He blasted a hole through the wall and disappeared into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

 

 

Over the course of his superhero career, Rodolfo had faced many terrible foes, but none were as terrible as being slowly suffocated. Breathing was an unfortunate necessity. Somewhere over Miracle City, he blacked out. When he woke, he was inside the Pantera Pit. His head was pounding, his lungs were screaming for air. Rodolfo was weak and sick. Bound by titanium, he didn’t have the strength to free himself. He didn’t even notice the familiar figure of his former sidekick coming towards him.

“Ah, good! You’re awake!”

“…Titan..” Rodolfo said with a tenth of his usual energy. “What are you….what are you doing?”

“I’m saving you, Rodolfo!” The Titanium Titan shouted. “You need help!”

“…I need fresh…air,” Rodolfo coughed. Was the room spinning or was it just him?

“No, you need help!” he insisted. “You can’t be blind to what’s happening to you, Rodolfo.”

What was happening to him? He nearly died. What else could he be talking about? “I don’t understand.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. I understand plenty for you, okay? We’ll got back to the old times and no one will ever hurt you again.”

No one would ever hurt him again? When he was a full-time hero, all anyone ever did was hurt him. Hell, he nearly died fighting El Mal Verde. Now that he thought about it, it was that fight that sent Maria into her worst panic attack. She couldn’t take it anymore. She left him. That was a sad day. Even in the clutches of the Titan, Rodolfo couldn’t help but get a little teary-eyed at the memory. How he loved her. He still loved her. The hole that Maria left in his heart could not be filled by crime-fighting. Even if it was semi-retired crime-fighting.

“I’m a superhero? I get hurt on a daily basis?”

“No! By your ungrateful family! By your father! And your son!”

“I’m very confused.”

The Titan loved Rodolfo but sometimes he could be thick in the head. “Your father is a supervillain, yes? Your son is running wild in the streets with that Frida girl, also yes? They’re no good for you, Rodolfo. I see it very clearly. They’re destroying you.”

“My family isn’t destroying me,” he laughed. “They’re mi familia. We love each other. Sure, sometimes we may not understand each other but –“

“But that makes it okay for them to ruin Miracle City and you!? How many times have you fought to keep villainy out of the streets? How many times have you protected the city from evil? And what do they do? They do evil! Right in your own home!”

“Technically, it’s my father’s house. He gave it to Maria and I as a wedding present but kept it in his name for tax purposes.”

“And that Maria!” snarled the Titan.  

“I love her!”

“WHY?! She left you!”

“Si, but it was for the best. The crime-fighting wasn’t healthy for her. I could not keep the woman that I love in a relationship that was killing her. I love her. I will always love her.”

Tears stun the Titan’s eyes. “What about me, Rodolfo? What about me? Wasn’t I enough to keep you in crime-fighting? Our relationship meant the world to me, Rodolfo!”

“I am truly sorry, Tito,” and he did sound sorry, “But mi familia, they are my life. Crime will come and go but familia is forever.”

“Did I mean nothing to you?” Tito cried. “Nothing at all? Rodolfo, I love you.”

“I…I am sorry, Tito. I do care for you but I cannot love you in the way that you want or need me to love you.”

Tito laughed and then he cried. “Rodolfo, oh, Rodolfo….if I can’t have you THEN NO ONE CAN!”

Honestly, he did want to have to hurt Rodolfo. He loved him with all of his heart. But if he couldn’t see what was good for him or what was right for him then he couldn’t be saved. He would have to have some sense knocked into him. Yes, that was a good plan. It would take some time, some love, and attention but he could, nay, he would save Rodolfo. Anyone could change if they had enough time and direction. And the Titanium Titan was more than willing to put all of himself into fixing Rodolfo. He lunged forward towards his captive but was stopped by a mechanical claw.

“Keep your metal mitts off my father!” roared Manny.

“El Tigre!” growled the Titan. “You may have stopped me once, eh, twice, and that one time at the junkyard but you won’t stop me this time!”

“Oh, I’m not here to stop you. I’m here to distract you.”

“Distract me?” questioned the Titan. “From what?” He felt someone tap him on the shoulder. When he turned around, he was face to face with Puma Loco’s missile blaster.

“So, you think it’s funny to kidnap my son, eh?” snarled Puma Loco.

“No! Wait!”

It was a mighty explosive. Puma Loco didn’t mess around when someone threatened his son. The Titan was left in a smoldering hole in the ground. When he woke, he was in the Miracle City prison. He was in his usual jail cell with a tiny window that gave him a view of the Rivera home.

Today, he failed in rescuing his beloved from the claws of villainy. But tomorrow was another day and when he broke out, he would not fail again. Rodolfo would be his. It was only a matter of time.


End file.
